Conscious Living
Living with intention and awareness with fluid intelligence involves the ability to reason and think flexibly.
While the school system is great for building "crystallised" intelligence (long term memory, basic knowledge, & vocabulary), "Fluid" intelligence is king and ruler of the real world. In laymen term, we called it 'street smart'.
"Empty your mind, be formless, Shapeless, like water. If you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Be wise, Be water my friend and adapt yourself to circumstances".
To thrive and prosper in an ever-changing world, we need to "be water" in every situation and every environment. Fluid intelligence measures our ability to adapt to change, our ability to be resourceful, our ability to see patterns and relationships, and our ability to creatively solve new and novel problems.
Characteristics of High Fluid Intelligence
Cognitive Flexibility — While the "4.0-GPA-type" is more likely to be cognitively "rigid," or to the extreme, a "know it all" (a common pitfall of high crystallized intelligence), people with high fluid intelligence are cognitively flexible. As the great Socrates once philosophized, "I know one thing... that I know nothing." In our ever-changing world, we must stay open to new ideas, potentials, and possibilities.
Recognize Change Early — Because they recognize patterns long before the rest of us, people with high fluid intelligence experience change in slow motion. With their "Matrix-like" ability to "bend" time, adjusting to an ever-shifting status-quo is natural and easy.
Light on Their Feet — Because people with high fluid intelligence see change as vital and necessary, they don't get set in their ways. In a world where "data is the new oil," making adjustments and "pivoting" in the face of fresh information is essential to staying relevant. Life's true valedictorians understand this, and stay light on their feet as a result.
Masters of Uncertainty — We live in an uncertain world. With night vision goggles, people with high fluid intelligence have the well-tuned intuition and magnetic gut-feel to find their way through the dark. Whether dropped on a deserted island or elevated to the helm of a startup, with their "swiss-army-knife-like" resourcefulness and uncanny ability to navigate uncertainty — they always figure out a way to thrive.
Always Have Backup Plans — While the rigid "crystallized thinker" is more likely to get stuck on one solution, people with high fluid intelligence always have a plan A, B, C, D, and all the way to Z if needed. Because they envision infinite roads to success, when faced with a seemingly immovable object, they always find their way around it, under it, over it, or taking a different road if required. Their motto is "I'll find a way... I always do."
Growth Mindset — With their curious nature and naturally ingrained "growth mindset," people with high fluid intelligence aren't afraid to go out of their comfort zone. Why? Because that's how you grow. That's how you expand your limits. In the dojo that is life, there is always some ability to hone and some skill to master.
Aren't Afraid To Fail — To become a black belt at anything, you must first be a "mistake-making" white belt. In this way, failure is never permanent. It's data. It's useful. It gets you one step further to figuring out what works, one step closer to achieving that black belt. Fail hard. Fail fast. Fail often. It only makes you better. Fluid intelligence opens our eyes to this paradox.
They Fall Forward — While people with high fluid intelligence are not immune to getting knocked down (no one is), they do have the resilience, adaptability, and flexibility to never be down for the count. When they fall, it's always forward.
Be Leaders, Not Followers — Hope and change are two sides of the same coin. Because people with high fluid intelligence are masters of change, they are naturally full of hope. As a result, crowds often gather behind them. Instead of followers, they are more likely to be leaders, founders, groundbreakers, movers, and shakers.
How Meditation Increases Fluid Intelligence
Meditation Increases Brain Size — By taking advantage of what scientists call "neuroplasticity", researchers discovered that meditation beneficially increases the neural "gray matter thickness" of certain brain regions.
To put it another way, meditation makes your brain bigger, smarter, and faster, the same way that physical exercise makes your muscles stronger, denser, with more endurance.
Contrary to the widely accepted scientific opinion of decades ago, the concept of neuroplasticity means that our intelligence is not genetically set from birth — there are certain things we can do to improve our brain performance.
As evidenced by numerous studies, neuroscientists have pegged meditation as the leading brain enhancer, with the potential to increase intelligence on all levels.
Meditation Enables Super Beneficial Brainwave Patterns — By guiding your brainwaves into the most beneficial frequencies - alpha, theta, and delta, a myriad of benefits manifest, including super creativity, powerful idea generation, enhanced cognitive functioning, and an overall intellectual capacity for growth.
Meditation is the very best, easiest way for you to access these super beneficial mind states, while transforming your life in so many different ways (the least of which is a simple boost in IQ!).
Meditation Improves Both Long & Short Term Memory — We all know that memory is a major component of both intelligence and IQ. From studying for exams, to learning a new coding language, to remembering names, memory is essential to daily intellectual function.
Two key memory associated areas of the brain, the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, both show significantly increased activity during meditation. By stimulating these vital areas in meditation, both long and short term memory capacity increase, making your job, schoolwork, and daily life that much easier.
Meditation Advances Emotional Intelligence (EQ) — Many people never learn to think through their emotions and address them in a reasonable manner, but instead are held prisoner by their reactions to outside stimuli.
Though you can’t control outside forces and circumstances, you certainly can control how you respond to them. Regular meditation will give you what is called "emotional intelligence" (or EQ), which is the ability to tune into and listen to your feelings, then work through them in a calm, thoughtful manner.
Why are we still feeling that we are drifting through life, and not going where we want to go? Or perhaps you don't know how we got where we are today?
Want more? Meditation also strengthens two "hot bed" fluid brain regions, the "dorsolateral prefrontal cortex" and the "anterior cingulate cortex."
The ancient mind practice also makes us "gritty" and mentally tough, boosts emotional intelligence, balances our brain, powers-up creativity, and magnifies intuition — all linked to fluid intelligence. We could go on, but you get the picture.
So, you didn't graduate at the top of your class? No problem. Fill up your fluid intelligence and become the valedictorian of life. Stand atop the podium with meditation.
Remember, change is a gradual process, and the journey is just as important as the destination. Embrace the effort and dedication required for lasting transformation, and be kind to yourself throughout the process.
If this article, resonates with you, deep down you know the answer.
"I allow myself to heal and transform"
Do connect with me, I love to hear from you 💞
*****
SPIRITUALITY is not about religion, beliefs, dogmas, it is about MASTERING The SKILLS to LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST.
Each of us will want to lead more balanced, joyful, and fulfilled lives.
I hope you find this information helpful, or at least enlightening to some degree, and please share with your friends as this knowledge might help them to find their center and manifest towards a healthy lifestyle and be able to enjoy life to the fullest.
*****
Peace, Love & Gratitude 💞
Contact me @ 011 1670 3368
lizpranalife@gmail.com
www.pranalifethrive.com
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